


Busy

by inabodycastofglass



Series: Old works [31]
Category: Tales of the Abyss
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-06-20
Updated: 2017-06-20
Packaged: 2018-11-16 17:40:10
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,518
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11257707
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/inabodycastofglass/pseuds/inabodycastofglass





	Busy

She was always busy. She would run from one meeting to another, and finished the day off with a personal meeting with her father to discuss the earlier meetings. the next day she would run off to another city for another meeting, and return the next day for yet another meeting at her castle. The next day would be filled with preparations, and the next with speaking with her citizens, and the next applying her discussions into another meeting, and then back on the Albior to meet with Peony to discuss all of those individual meetings. By the time she'd manage to get a break, even a few hours off, he had to return to Malkuth.

Sometimes she managed to give him a quick kiss on her way out, but most often she was gone before he woke up. He wasn’t upset. At least that was what he told himself. He just wished they could spend a little time together, just a little, to enjoy each other' s company, not to sit around and listen to her talk about her plans and review her next speech.

Was she always this busy? He knew he saw her frequently when she was still engaged to Luke. But as he thought he realised she'd only came by every four months at the most. Sometimes she would be gone for up to ten. He'd tried his best to avoid her, so he'd never noticed. This could have been a normal thing for her.

Still, despite everything he told himself, that he was fine with her position, that even being around her was good enough, he finally had to admit that he was jealous of her job. A silly thing to be jealous of. She wasn’t in love with someone else, and he didn’t think she ever would be. And it was what made him fall in love with her in the first place. He loved to see her passion when she helped her people. She wasn’t the little brat he thought she was. She was beautiful, the way her eyes sparkled and her smile looked real, the way the other nobles in the meetings didn’t. You could tell she really cared about her people, and Peony’s people. She just cared.

When did seeing her like this turn from making his stomach flutter like a storybook princess to a sick feeling that made him feel exhausted? When did he start hating that grin she wore as she passed out right after walking into her room at night? When did he start wanting to monopolize her time?

It was the worst right before their first year anniversary. He went up to her while she was getting dressed and hugged her. She giggled and kissed him on the cheek as she finished applying her makeup, but when he didn’t let go, she frowned. “Guy, I need to finish getting ready. The meeting is starting in twenty minutes.” When he didn’t let go she started to push him off. “Guy, I am being serious. Please get off.”

He gripped her tighter, kissing her neck. She started to struggle against him. “Guy, stop this. I have a meeting. We can do this later.” She started to pull at his arms, but he wouldn’t get him go. “Guy!”

He lifted her up and placed her on the bed, holding onto her. She pushed on his chest, holding him at arm's length. He wasn’t sure of the expression on his face, but whatever it was, it turned her furious, red face shocked, tight. Her brows furrowed together and her lips hung loose. “Guy?”

He looked away from her, standing up and walking away. He heard her stand up and follow after him. She took his arm and he jumped, something he hadn’t done at her touch in nearly ten months. “Guy, what is wrong?”

He looked at her and started to cry. He tried to turn back away but she took his face in both her hands, wiping away his tears with her thumbs. “Guy, speak to me. What is bothering you so much? This is unlike you.” He wasn’t sure if she was referring to his crying or his forceful spurt earlier. Either way, she was right. He wasn’t being himself lately at all.

She kissed him, lightly, like she always did. After a moment she led him back to the bed and sat him down. She took the spot next to him and held his hands in her lap, caressing them softly. She looked at him, her smile light, barely there.

“Tell me why you are so upset.”

He looked away, not wanting her to see him like this. He started to tap his foot, waiting for her to give up and go to her meeting. Instead she shifted herself to the side and placed her legs over his until she was all but sitting in his lap. She took his face in one of her hands and directed her eyes to hers again. “Guy.”

He rested his head on the curve of her neck and took a deep breath. It made his body tremble, so he held it. When he let it go it was steady. She could feel her hand smoothing down his hair, and he waited, listening to her breath, letting it soothe him, until he was calm.

“You should get to your meeting.” His voice was strong, more so than normal. But he wouldn’t look at her.

“Ah, so that’s what this is about.” She mhm-ed and nodded. “I thought that might have been bothering you.” She shifted herself so she was sitting on his lap, her bum placed between his legs on the bed. “Guy, look at me.”

He did so. She was smiling at him. He had to will himself to keep eye contact. She kissed him, wrapping her arms around his shoulders, leaning into him. He held her, one hand hooked around her chest, the other placed behind her head, fingers slipping through her hair. He went to pull away, but she gripped the front of his shirt in her fist and held him. She kissed him until he stopped breathing. He used all of his energy to focus on kissing her. Finally she broke away, kissing him lightly again before pulling back. “Guy, I love you. You know that.”

He nodded instinctively. She kissed him again. “I mean it, I do. Not just for the sake of Kimlasca, or because you asked me to marry you, but because I do. I want you to know that. I love you.”

He paused for a moment. Finally he nodded. “I know.” The stiff, storming feeling in his stomach, like something had come back from the dead inside him, had started to calm. “I just miss you.”

She hugged him. She was soft. He’d forgotten how much. Feeling bitter toward her love for her job, he had stopped trying to hold her at night. Instead he just watched as she curled into a ball and slept by herself. It was cruel of him.

She leaned into his ear, her lips brushing it as she spoke, making his muscles tense. “I know it gets lonely being by yourself. But the more work I do now, the more time we will have together later.”

She pulled back and rested her forehead on his, her eyes closed. He watched her, examining the placement of every eyelash, taking in the image of the four light, small freckles on her cheeks. “This is the most important time for me as a ruler. In a year we will be married, and seven months after, on the eve of my birthday, I will be crowned and take over as queen. It is important that I gain as much favour as possible before that happens. If they feel you are distracting me from my duties, then there will be problems that could cause us to be separated. And I… I don't wish for that to happen. I don't want to marry anyone other than you.”

There was a knock at the door. “Princess Natalia. They are waiting for you at the meeting.”

She turned her head to the door. “I will be right out. I was having a bit of a…” She swallowed her giggle. “Personal issue.”

“I will deliver your message.” There were footsteps and Natalia turned back to him.

“I must go now. But tonight we will talk more. I have been neglecting you more than I should. Forgive me?”

He kissed her again, leaning her back. She gripped to the front of his shirt, afraid she’d fall back. He lifted her back up and helped her to her feet. “Go, impress those nobles.”

She fixed her lipstick, slipped on her shoes, and grabbed a shall. On her way out she kissed him again, and took off to the meeting room at a run. As he listened to her footsteps growing quieter, and eventually silent, he sighed. He didn’t feel much better, not really. But he would just have to fake it until this next year-and-a-half was over.


End file.
